If someone was asked why they use social media, they may say that it’s because it allows them to stay in touch with their friends. It could be said that this is not much of a surprise, and this is because this is how social media is often portrayed.

One of these sites has even promoted themselves in the real world, and this took place to show how people can use their site to connect to their friends. So after seeing this, it may have caused a number of people to finally create a profile.

A Reminder

However, as so many people use social media, there is a strong chance that most of the people who saw the advert already use it. In fact, they may have been using it whilst they saw the advert.

The advert would then have been a reflection of what they were already doing, or it may have caused them to go online. And as long as one has some kind of device, they can use it no matter where they are.

It’s Simple

It is then not going to take a lot of effort for them to stay up to date with what their ‘friends’ are doing. The only thing they will need to do is to browse through their wall, or to send them a message.

But as most people share what they have been doing on their wall, they may only need to send a message during certain times. For example, if they have something personal to talk about, they could send them a private message.

Two Ways

The same approach could also be taken by the people on their ‘friends’ list, and this will then stop one from receiving too many messages. Yet if they wanted to reach out to someone, they could ‘like’ what they have shared or comment on their status.

Therefore, one won’t need to put in a lot of effort and neither will the people who stay in contact with them. This is can then appear to be the ideal scenario, and this is partly due to how ‘busy’ people are in today’s world.

Private Message

Nevertheless, even if one was to send a few privates messages from time to time, it is not going to take much time or energy. Through doing this, it will allow them to get a better understanding of how one of their ‘friends’ has been spending their time on this earth.

There is also the chance that this will have a greater impact than if they were to simply ‘like’ or comment on what someone shares. The reason for this is that one will be putting in more effort, and the other person is likely to realise this.

No Short Cuts

What this demonstrates is that relationships need the right nutrients in order to exist; if they don’t receive these things, they will soon die off. So although it is easy to believe that social media allows people to maintain their relationships without putting in a much effort, it could be said that this is not the complete truth.

It might be more accurate to say that social media can allow one to keep a relationship alive, but that can be as far as it will go. In order for one to have a real relationship with someone, they will need to put in a certain amount of effort.

Face-To-Face Contact

This is one of reasons why social media can’t replace real life interactions; the only thing it can really do is to complement them. Now, if one has a friend or family member who is in another part of the country, for instance, then they won’t have much choice.

Yet when it comes to the people who live nearby, it will be important for them to spend time with them. Not only will this have a positive effect on the relationship, it will also have a positive effect on their well-being.

Missing Out

Thus, while one can believe that they will be missing out when they don’t use social media, they can also miss out by using it. What they miss out on when they don’t use it can pale in significant to what they miss out on when they use it.

Ultimately, it is all about moderation, and through having this understanding one can make sure that it doesn’t undermine their life. And when one spends time with someone in the real world, it will allow them to pay attention to how they feel around them and what kind of connection they have.

A Difference Experience

However, when one uses social media, it is not going to be passable for this to take place. As a result, one could see someone as a ‘friend’ online but if they were to see them in the real world, they could walk straight passed them.

Or even if they were to talk to them, they may soon feel the need to get away from them. What this comes down to is that one can see someone as a friend based on what has taken place between them in the past and not because of what has recently occurred.

An Illusion

One could then be in a position where they have hundreds or even thousands of friends, but if they were to meet each of these people in the real world they might soon realise that this is not the case. Yet without even going this far, one could be talking to someone online who they have known for quite some time and the same thing could occur if they were to meet them in person.

Conclusion

When one uses social media, it can be easy for them to waste time, and this time could be used to enhance their life. For one thing, they could spend less time talking to their ‘friends’ online and more time developing relationships that will actually fulfil their needs.

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